Chandigarh, May 1st 2005: From the introduction of two 16-week semesters to the introduction of a grading system and credit system and an eight-week summer term, a complete academic changeover is in the offing for students seeking fresh admission to Punjab Engineering College (PEC) this year.

Overhauling the academic structure to bring it in tune with the IIT pattern, PEC will have two 16-week semesters and an 8-week summer term. This term would be held during the summer vacation to conduct special classes for ‘‘deficient students’’ who fail to clear the papers held after a semester, enabling them to be thorough in the subject in which they are weak.

Doing away with the traditional system of allocating marks, PEC will, now, have a credit system for marking papers. Though the number of total credits required to pass a semester is yet to be fixed, the Board of Governors has decided to follow a four-credit system.

This system would be based on awarding credits for a specific number of marks secured by the students. The requisite pass credits would, subsequently, be decided by the PEC Senate.

While credits would be introduced in place of marks, students would be placed in a seven-tier grading system based on the credits they secure. PEC would have four passing grades of A, B, C and D, there would be two grades, E and F, for students who fail in particular papers. While grade I would be awarded as an ‘‘incomplete grade’’ to students who fail to appear in a particular paper for whatever reason.

While "E" would be a marginal failing grade which would be awarded to students who miss the pass marks by a margin of five per cent lower, the "F" grade would be for those failing in a subject. The difference between the two would be that students securing E grade would be exempted from attending the summer term for deficient students. These classes would, however, be mandatory for all students getting grade F.

The grade I would be awarded in courses or subjects in which a particular student fails to appear on account of lecture shortage or leave. Students would be required to attend 80 per cent lectures to be eligible to sit in the exams under the new scheme adopted by PEC.

This new system would, however, not apply to students already studying at PEC and would be applicable to the new batch which will join PEC in the session beginning from July.